I cam across a news article called "How to Cut Your Utility Bills: Wood-burning Fireplaces Can Help Heat Your Home" that suggests using a heat-circulating fireplace if you want to heat with wood. As I've mentioned before, traditional hearths are a bad idea since most of the heat goes up the chimney. According to the article, "Heat-circulating fireplaces rely on natural convection (hot air is less dense and rises) to create the room air flow through the fireplace. As the fire gets hotter, the room air flowing through the fireplace gets warmer creating greater air flow. This self-regulating feature produces heated air quite efficiently." At the end, there's a list of a few companies that offer efficient wood-burning fireplaces.

Thinking of adding an upgrade that will increase the appeal of your house when it's time to sell? According to a survey by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), 77% of new home buyers desire a fireplace in the family room (50% would like a fireplace in the living room). Even in warmer climates, people like the ambiance a fire provides. Not looking for the hassle of building a wood-burning fireplace from scratch? A recent online article called "Get Fired up About Fireplaces" takes a look at some of the options out there, i.e. gas log sets, gas inserts, direct vent gas fireplaces, and vent-free gas fireplaces.

The Woodmaster Plus is a furnace, not a fireplace, but I thought the fuel source was interesting enough to mention here. The outdoor furnace can burn either wood pellets or corn--a fuel source that is gaining in popularity because it's cheaper than wood and a more easily renewable resource. Since corn contains oil and ethanol, the Woodmaster folks say it burns cleaner than other fuels, too.

And corn isn't the only thing the furnace burns. Other crops can be used as a heater source (their press release mentions dried sunflowers and cherry pits). "The decision to switch to this innovative source of heat may be as easy as taking a look at what crops you currently grow. There are alternative ways to heating your home and saving money - they're probably right in your backyard."

I just came across the first fiberoptic fireplace (at least according to the manufacturer) made by Fiber Optic Lighting, Inc. from Grants Pass, Oregon. I'm not sure how realistic the fireplace looks, but if you just want a bit of atmosphere and aren't worried about heat, it's a pretty neat idea.

According to the company's press release: "Fiberoptic Lighting, Inc. of Grants Pass, OR, designers and fabricators of imaginative fiber optic displays and signs for nearly two decades, just unveiled the world’s first fiber optic fireplaces. Their new fiber optic fireplace collection gives a person the visual effects of a cozy fireplace without the maintenance costs and inherent risks."

Kitchen fireplaces are one of the newest housing trends. Designed just to warm up the kitchen, these units are usually more compact than living room or great room fireplaces. Travis Industries in Mukilteo, Washington makes a kitchen fireplace that can burn either natural gas or propane and has realistic looking ceramic logs. With a unique touch, they added a special nook in the keystone above the fireplace that hides a stainless steel tray designed to hold aromatherapy essential oils. Just like with traditional candle-based aromatherapy, the heat of the gas fireplaces warms the oil and it gives off a pleasant aroma while you're working in the kitchen.

I recently ran across a "gel fuel fireplace" and had to look it up and see what this new (at least to me) fuel was about. After browsing around the web, I found that gel fuel is an alcohol-based product that isn't supposed to give off smoke or odors (that's what the various suppliers say, anyway). This means you don't need a chimney/vent to install a gel fuel fireplace. It sounds like gel fuel, unlike gas, doesn't give off much heat and is more about creating flickering flames and ambiance. You basically plug in a canister and it runs for a few hours.

We tend to think of outdoor fireplaces and fire pits as places to congregate predominantly in the spring and summer. Living the Sweet Life is a story that looks at someone's winter time hobby that involves firing up the backyard fireplace. The person mentioned boils sap in order to make homemade maple syrup. He made his outdoor fireplace out of brick from scratch and uses it every year to make the sweet stuff. If you're interested in the syrup business, the article goes into fairly in depth detail on how to get started.

If you've been thinking about adding an outdoor fireplace, chiminea, fire pit, or even a fire table to your backyard, now may be the time. According to Latest Accessories Boost Yard Enjoyment, "outdoor fireplaces and chimineas are now ridiculously popular." Their popularity means a lot more models to choose from out there (just incase you don't want to build something from scratch) and competitive prices. Outdoor fireplaces are great for entertaining since they add warmth and ambiance. Most chimineas and fire pits can double as grills.

The article also offers information on other backyard trends, so it may be worth reading if you're planning some projects for the spring and summer.

The high prices of oil and gas in the Northeast are causing a renewed interest in old ways of heating such as coal and wood-burning fireplaces. For people looking to save money, coal is the cheapest alternative. Advances in coal stoves have created units that don't need continual monitoring. Automatic feeders load fresh coal into the stove as the old burns down.

Wood pellet stoves are also popular alternatives. Though not as cheap as coal, they are comprable to the efficiency of and a little cheaper than natural gas at this time.

Pellet stoves were originally developed to utilize waste sawdust, and they are growing in popularity since they burn what would usually be thrown into land fills. Pellet stoves are efficient, usually rated at 75-99% efficiency (over the average of 65-70 for wood-burning stoves). Costs start at about $1,650 and go up to around $2,500. The high-end models use a computer board to automatically control the pellet feed.